RIPPING up the script, match after match, Alex Eala continued to stun fans and pundits alike — crushing world No. 42 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, 6-1, 6-2, to barge into the WTA 250 Eastbourne semifinal in Great Britain on Thursday night.
It marks only Eala’s second semifinal appearance this season, following her solid run at the Miami Open last March.
The world No. 74 raced to a 2-0 lead to start the match before the Ukrainian got on the board at 2-1. Eala quickly regained control, holding serve for 4-1 and never looking back. She broke Yastremska three times in the opening set.
In the second set, Eala opened with another strong start, going up 3-0 after back-to-back breaks. Yastremska managed to take a game at 3-1 and showed a brief push at 4-2, but Eala held her ground, winning two straight games to close out the match in just an hour and five minutes.
Eala will next face France’s Varvara Gracheva in the semifinal. The two last met in the qualifying round of the Nottingham Open, where Eala came out on top in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
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